Machine for treating or processing fabrics and other goods



June 5, 1923. 3&52413.

,1. ALVVILSON MACHINE FOR TREATING 0R PROCESSING FABRICS AND OTHER GOODS Filed March 9. 1920 mgz . Inverdon Patented June 5, 1923.

JOHN A. WILSON, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO DU'RATEX CORPORA- TION, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING OR PROCESSING FABRICS AND OTHER GOODS.

Application filed March 9, 1920. Serial No. 364,572.

To all whom it my concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. WILSON, a' citizen of the United States, and residing at Elizabeth, New Jersey, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Treating or Processing Fabrics and Other Goods, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for treating or processing fabrics and other goods. The particular embodiment of this invention, herein set forth, relates to a coaitingor spreading machine such as is suitable for use in coating or spreading:

' being about on line with the lower edge of a pyroxylin composition on fabrics in the manufacture of coated fabrics.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a machine of this nature in which the coating process may be made substantially continuous and the fabric may be given several successive coats without removing it from the machine and without stopping or reversing the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character in which drag means act on the web of fabric adjacent the coating or spreading means and the latter is readily accessible to the operator without unduly exposing him to fumes from the composition applied to the fabric.

-' Further objects, and objects relating to economies of operation and production and details of construction, will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. I accomplish the objects of my inven-' tion by the devices and means described in the following specification. My invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the ap- 40 pended claims. A structure. which may be a referred embodiment of my invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this Specification, in which Fig. I is a View in side elevation machine, a part being broken away, as shown by dotted lines, to condense the view, and

Fig. II is a detail, sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. I.

In the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Considering the numbered parts of the drawings, I have shown a machine comprisof the ing a frame, 10, on which a doctor or spread ing knife, 11, is mounted. A container, 12, for the coating composition, which is to be applied to or spread upon the fabric, is supported so that the fluid coating composition will flow from the nozzle, 13, in front of the doctor or spreading knife, 11. A tension roll, 30, is journaled in suitable supports on the front of frame, 10, and suitable retarding means, such as the brake, 31, co-oper'ate with the tension roll, 30. An idler roll, 29, is journaled in supports on frame, 10, just in the rear of and slightly above tension roll, 30. Another idler roll,. 28, is journaled in supports on frame, 10, the axis of this roll knife, 11, and in a vertical plane infront'of idler roll, 29.

A roll, 14, is journaled in supports, 15, extending from frame, 10, the axis of roll, 14, lying in about the same horizontal plane as the lower edge of knife, 11." Standards, 18, extend vertically from the rear part of frame, 10, and a roll, 17, is journaled in the upper ends of said standards. A roll, 19, is journaled in bearings, 20, which are slidably mounted in the slots, 21, formed in the upper ends of brackets, 22, the lower ends of which are secured to the standards, 18, by bolts, 23. The'bearings, 20, have straps, 24, connected thereto and adjustably linked to straps, 25, extending from the upper ends of standards, 18, by the turn buckles, 26. The roll, 14, is driven by the chain or belt, 16, and an endless belt, 27, runs over the rolls, 14, 17, and 19, the outer surface of said belt being provided with carding clothing or other suitable means so that the belt acts as a dragbelt and frictionally grips the fabric, W, so as to pull it under the knife, 11. The tension on drag belt, 27, ma be varied by adjusting the position of rol 19, by means of the turnbuckles, 26.

In the rear of the frame, 10, is the .drier, enclosed by the partitions 32 and 33, in which suit-able heating coils (not shown) are located. At the rear end of the machine, beyond the partition, 33, there is mounted a driven drag roll, 34, driven by belt, 35. The shaft of roll, 34, carries a gear, 36, meshing with a gear,.37, which drives a sprocket, 38, which, in turn, drives a chain, 39, driving a sprocket, 40, connected through suitable clutch mechanism (not shown) to drive a rear-end of the machine and similar bases,

43, are mounted in the drier near the partition, 32. A pair of sprockets, 44, are adjustably mounted on the bases, 42, and a similar pair of sprockets, 45, are adjustably mounted on the bases, 43. An endless conveyor, 46, extends from the sprockets, 44, to the sprockets, 45, and includes a pair of chains running over said sprockets. Said endless conveyor is driven by chain, 56, from sprocket, 57, which is driven by gear, 37. The conveyor is driven at a relatively low speed, compared with the rate-at which the fabric travels, and hence may properly be termed a creeping conveyor. The conveyor extends through an opening, 47, in the partition, 33, and the upper part of this opening is closed by a flexible flap, 48. Idler rolls,

49 and 50, are journaled above the forward end of conveyor, 46, in suitable supports and another idler roll, 51, in a'lower plane, is journaled in supports extending from the partition, 32,

A sprocket, 53, driven with one of sprockets, 45, carries chain, 52, which drives sprocket, 54, the latter driving sprocket 55, which drives chain, 16. The arrangement of drive is such that the surface speed of drag roll, 34, and drag belt, 27 is the same and considerably greater than that of the endless conveyor, '46. The web of fabric, W,

passes through slots, 58 and 59, in partitions,

32 and 33. respectively, as it passes through the drier from drag belt, 27, to drag roll, 34. As the web passes from the conveyor, 46, to tension roll, 30 it passes through the slot, 60, in partition, 32, near idler roll, 51.

"From the description of the parts given above, the operation of this machine should be very readily understood. The web of fabric, W, to be coated is fed over feed roll, 41, which has a surface of carding clothing, to the creeping conveyor, 46. Since this conveyor moves very slowly, compared with the feed roll, the fabric disposes itself in folds on the conveyor as shown. is passed from the conveyor over idler rolls, 49 and 50, under idler roll, 51, through slot, 60, and thence to the tension roll, 30, the

surface of which is provided with carding clothing. The web passes around the tension roll, 30, under idler roll, 29, over idler roll,

28, and under the doctoror spreading knife,-

- slot, 59, from the drier to the drag roll, 34,

the surface of which is covered with carding The web clothing. From the drag roll, 34, the web may pass from the machine, as shown, .or it may pass directly back to the creeping conveyor, 46, if another coating is to be applied to it.

It will be noted that the pull which carries the fabricunder the knife is supplied by the drag belt, 27, which is close to the knife and therefore, this tension does not exist through a long stretch of the fabric. The drag roll, 34, supplies the pull necessary to carry the fabric through the drier, This pull is comparatively slight and, hence, the long stretch of fabric between belt, 27, and roll, 34, does not result in any disadvantage. The fact that the drag belt, 27, acts on the fabric inthe rear of .and near to the knife to pull the fabric under the knife enables me to operate on a light Weight fabric without injuring it.

It will be observed that the machine is continuous in its operation and that the coating operation does not need to be suspended While a coated batch is taken off or a fresh batch is fed to the machine. In work of the character for which this machine is intended, for example, applying a pyroxylin coating to a fabric, solvents are frequently used in the coating composition which are volatile and give vapors which are injurious or unpleasant to the workmen. It will be observed that the web passes from the knife to the drier in a'direct path and, hence, the freshly coated fabric is not exposed unnecessarily before it enters the drier. This reduces the exposure of the operators to the solvent fumes as much as is possible without enclosing this part of the machine. I am enabled to do this, and at the same time get a drag or pull on the fabric adjacent the knife, by employing the drag belt, 27 as described. This results in a practical advantage of considerable importance.

I am aware thatthe particular embodiment of my invention here shown and de scribed is susceptible of considerable variation Without departing from the spirit thereof and, therefore, I desire to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, drying means and means for carrying a fabric to be coated continuously past said coating means and drying means including a driven drag belt adjacent toand in the rear of said coating means, said drying means and drag belt being so related as to permit movement of the fabric to the drying means without downward movement of the fabric.

2. A machine of the class described, comprising the combination of coating means,

drying means and means for carrying a fabric to be coated continuously past said coating means and dr ing means including a driven drag belt a jacent to and in the rear of said coating means and a tension roll adjacent to and in advance of said coating means. I

3. In a machine of the class described the combination ofa coating means, a drying means, and means for carrying a fabric to be coated continuously past said coating means and drying means, including a driven drag belt adjacent to said coating means, and means to vary the tension of said drag belt.

4. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, drying means, and means for carrying a fabric to be coated past said coating means and drying means including a driven drag belt adjacent to and in the rear of said coating means and a driven conveyor moving relatively slower than said drag belt.

5. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of a frame, a spreading knife mounted therein, a driven drag belt mounted in said frame in the rear of said knife, drying means, and means for carrying a fabric to be coated continuously past said knife and drying means.

6. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, drying means, and means for carrying a fabric to be coated continuously past said coating means and drying means, including a driven drag belt adjacent to and in the rear of said coating means and a creeping apron on which surplus fabric is adapted to lie in folds. r

7. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, drying means, means for carrying a fabric to be coated past said coating means, including a driven drag belt adjacent to and in the rear of said coating means, means for carrying the freshly-coated fabric past said drying means, and means for.returning said fabric to said coating means including a creeping conveyor 8. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of a drying chamber, a creeping conveyor extending within said chamber, a drag roll at one end of said conveyor adapted to deliver fabric thereto, coating mechanism at the other end of said conveyor including a spreading knife and a driven drag belt adjacent to and in the rear of said knife and adapted to draw the fabric from said conveyor'and past said knife, said drag roll and coating mechanism being outside said drying chamber.

9. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, drying means and means for continuously carrying a fabric past said coating and drying means, including a driven drag belt adjacent to, and in the rear of, said coating rollers with respect to the other to vary the tension of said drag belt.

10. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, a driven drag belt adjacent to and in the rear of said coating means, a drying chamber, and means for carrying the fabric to be coated through said chamber and returning it to the coating means, including a creeping conveyor on which excess fabric is loosely carried without tension. 11. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of a frame a spreading knife mounted thereon, a driven drag belt mounted thereon, a tension roll journaled therein, drying means,'means for delivering fabric tosaid tension roll including a creeping conveyor, and means for drawing fabric from said drag belt past said drying means and delivering said fabric to said conveyor.

12/ A machine of the class described comprising the combination .of fabric-treating means, drying means, and means for carrying a fabric to be treated past said treating means and drying means including a drag belt acting on said fabric adjacent to and in the rear of said treating means and a driven conveyor moving relatively slower than said drag belt.

13. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of fabric treating means, drying means and means for carrying a fabric to be treated continuously past 7 said treating means and drying means, 1ncluding a drag belt acting on said fabric ad jacent to and in the rear of said treating means and a creeping apron on which surplus fabric is adapted to lie in folds.

14. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of fabric treating means, a drier and a driven drag belt acting on the fabric adjacent saidiabric treating 7 means.

15. A machine of the class described comprising the combination of coating means, a drier and a driven drag belt acting on the fabric adjacent the coating means.

16. A machine of the class described com-.

prising the combination of coating means, a drier and a driven drag belt acting on the fabric between the coating means and the drier.

17. An apparatus for coating fabrics, the

mit the fabric to pass therefrom in a subcoating means, said drag belt being arranged stantially horizontal direction to said drying to provide a long surface of contact with the chamber. fabric, when said fabric is passed from said 10 18. A machine for coating fabrics, comdrag belt to the drying means, and means 5 prising a coating means, a drying chamber, to vary the tension of said drag belt.

a tension means in front of said coating In testimony whereofiIafiixmy signature.

means, and a drag belt in the rear of said JOHN A. WILSON. 

